Aftermath

Chapter 15

Jax was the first one awake the next morning. He smiled as he untangled himself from Alianna's arms. Her answering sigh told him that she would be awake soon.

Having Alianna at home with him last night was a piece of a puzzle he did not know he was missing. The peace he had felt having her near last night as she cooked dinner which they ate in the gazebo, taking in the beautiful ocean. He made a mental note to have the dinner table rearranged to face the water.

After freshening up, Jax pulled on a pair of shorts and jersey and walked out of the bathroom. He chuckled upon seeing Alianna still snuggled in bed, gone were the days where he would meet her sitting outside looking out at the ocean as she did at the hotel. She deserved the rest after all these years. Alianna smiled as Jax kissed her cheek, it was his way of inviting her down for breakfast.

"Morning Genevra," Jax grinned as he walked into the kitchen where the older woman was preparing breakfast.

Genevra washed her hands and smoothed back her gray locks. "Jax," she embraced the boy she looked after since his birth. "You look different."

Jax raised an eyebrow as he sat at the counter where the coffee maker was at work. "I didn't feel like shaving this morning," he rubbed his chin, feeling the stubble.

Genevra rolled her eyes, "It's not that. You look different, the house feels different. Things are different."

Jax smiled as he fixed his coffee, he knew how Generva felt and he knew the reason why was getting ready upstairs. "Things and time have changed."

"You can say that again," Genevra kept one eye on the pan of bacon and the other on Jax who had not outgrown his boyhood habit of stealing from the pan. "So when will I get to meet the lady of the house?"

Jax hid his smile, he loved how Genevra knew his intentions when it came Alianna. "In a couple of minutes," he sipped his coffee. "Listen, there's something you should know about Alianna."

The seriousness in Jax's voice made Genevra give him her full attention.

"Alianna hasn't had the easiest of lives. If you think our lives are hard and dangerous, she has been through hell. She doesn't trust people very easily so just give her some time."

Genevra nodded slowly, she was always very cautious about the people Jax associated with. She was naturally inclined to reserve her judgement on Alianna, given the fact that she was the first girl Jax ever brought home but there was a softness in Jax's voice that she had never heard before; this Alianna was someone special.

Jax looked up as the familiar sound of bare feet on marble reached his ears. Alianna stood warily at the entrance to the kitchen, capturing the attention of the two occupants. He extended his hand to her, Alianna nestled in his arms, her safety, while assessing the older woman in front of her.

"Alianna, this is Genevra. She has been taking care of me since I was born and she helped put together your closet and room. Genevra, this is Alianna, my rose."

"Nice to meet you," Alianna extended her hand, an action that surprised Jax. Genevra hesitated, shocked by Jax's endearment and thrown off by Alianna's formality but shook her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Genevra smiled at the young woman.

Even without Jax's warning, she could see the vulnerability around Alianna, despite the mask of impassivity she held up. Genevra quickly finished cooking breakfast as Alianna and Jax talked quietly so she could give the couple their privacy. It warmed her heart to see how tender Jax was Alianna, a gentleness she had not seen since he took charge of the family.